Billiard-table cushion.



No. 70|,254. Patented May 27, I902.

' M. BENSINGER.

BILLIARD TABLE CUSHION.

(Application filed Jan. 31, 1902.)

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ATTORNEY UNITED STATES EEicE;

PATENT MOSES BENSINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THEBRUNSIVIOK- BALKECOLLENDER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONOF OHIO.

BlLLlARD-TABLE CUSHION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,254, dated May 27,1902.

Application filed January 31,1902- Serial No. 91,963. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mosns BENSINGER, of Ohicago, county of Cook, Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inBilliard-Table Cushions; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to what are commonly known as billiard-tablecushions or to What are more frequently denominated by billiardtablemanufacturers and rubber-goods manufacturers as the cushion-strips ofbilliardtables.

As is well known to every one skilled in the arts to which my inventionappertains, these cushion-strips are of a shape in cross-section.

which approximately corresponds to that of an equilateral triangle, twoof the four strips for use on a carom-table being of lengths sufficientto be fitted to the long side rails of the table, while the other twostrips are of lengths which adapt them to the shorter end rails. As isalso well known, about all cushion-strips now manufactured are composedof some rubber compound that is both molded into final shape or form andalso vulcanized in metallic molds, after which they are securelyfastened by cementation to the (soft wood) linings of the hard-woodcushionrails of the table in such a manner that after having beenproperly covered with the green cloth and applied to the billiardtablebed (by the usual cushion-rail bolts) the balls played on the table-bedwill contact with what is usually denominated the nose of the cushion ata point in the spherical surface of the ba1l--tl1at is, above the levelin which lies the center of the ball-so that the impact of a ball on thenose (and workingface) of the cushion operates to both force backwardand to elevate the particles of the rubber compound composing the noseand the parts in proximity thereto of the cushion. It is also wellunderstood by those skilled in the art of making'and Well understandingthe mechanical action of billiard-table cushion of the usual generalform and general structural qualities operates to produce a concussiveaction of the ivory ball on the cloth covering of the table-bed,whichpounding, as it is commonly called, of the balls on the expensive greencloth soon gutters it in lines parallel with and approximatelyimmediately beneath the noses of the series of cushions, rendering theplaying-surface of the table unfit for accurate play, and that thisobjection is more or less aggravated, according to what may be theprecise shape (in cross-section) and the particular structural qualitiesor peculiarities of the cushion-strip; second, that cushion-strips varyintheir operations and effects not only as to the par ticulars firstabove alluded to, but also as to speed or qnicknessthat is, the degreeof celerity with which a ball is played with a given degree of forceagainst the cushion will rebound from thensame-or as to the legs which aball will have played with a given stroke-in other Words, as to how manycushions can be made on the table; third, that aside from theseconsiderations, what is called the accuracy of the cushion-11 e., itscapability to deflect a ball played against it at a proper angle, sothat the angles of incidence and reflection will be substantially thesame-depends on the shape, the relative position to the bed, thestructural qualities, and the qualities of the ingredients composing thecushion-strip, and, fourth, that the durability or lasting quality ofthe cushion (which means the capacity of a cushion to maintain for along time Whatever desirable active qualities it may be found to possesswhen first put into use) depends on some or all of the considerationsrelating to shape, construction, quality of ingredients, dsc,herein-above alluded to. All these things are matters, I say, with whichthe skilled and experienced makers and users of billiard-table cushionsare supposed to be more or less familiar but it is necessary tounderstand them all in at least a general way and hear them all well inmind in order to perfectly understand the character or nature of myinvention from the description thereof which I am about to give, andwhich invention has resulted from a close study of the subject-matter ofcushion-strips metallic,usually castiron,mold, over or on top ofwhich-is placed the male member of the mold, and the two parts are thenforcibly secured together, usually by clamping-screws, after which themolded article is submitted (in the mold) for the proper length of timeto the requisite degree of heat to effectuate the vulcanizing process,and, as is well known to the expert rubber-goods manufacturer, thecompleted article is not in its best condition for use immediately afterhaving been thus made, but, on the contrary, cannot be put onto abilliard-table and operate satisfactorily until quite a long time afterthe completion of its manufacture. Some chemical change occurs orcontinues for quite awhile after the vulcanizing process shall have beencompleted and before the cushion will give the best and desired resultsin actual operation. This is true of cushion-strips of many variousconstructions comprising ingredients of different qualities, andalthough it is quite well settled by experts in the art of makingcushions and those experienced in their uses on a billiard-table that novulcanized cushion will operate properly within less than from one totwo months after its manufacture it is also known that while suchcushion will be at its best a few months after it shall have been madethe same made cushion may turn out to have not gotten to a condition todevelop perfection in action until a year or more after the time when itwas made, yet no one, no matter how great may have been his experienceand observations in the art of making vulcanized-rubber compoundcushion-strips,no matter how careful may have been his study andresearches in the matter of the operations of cushions made as nearlyalike as possible, but put into use at different lengths of time afterthe completion of their manufacture, can tell anything definite aboutwhat length of time a cushion of a given make must be left in disuse inorder to develop the best possible action when it shall be put onto orinto a billiard-table.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, cushion -strips have beenmade and used formed or provided with various means operating to renderthe working face, as it is called, of the cushion harder than the restof the cushion, and the variety of what are known in the art asface-hardening devices heretofore and now in use has been almostinnumerable.

The face of the rubber compound strip has usually been made harder-toprevent too much embediment therein of the ball, and hence avoid toomuch inaccuracy of the angles of incidents and reflection, to vary thespeed of the cushion, and to effect greater endurance or durability ofthe cushion (especially of late years) by the embodiment within thecushion or the incorporation in the mass of molded compound of some sortof hardening device or means located comparatively close to the workingface and nose of the cushion-strip and secured in place by or during theprocess of vulcanization of the strip. For instance, one or more layersor thicknesses of canvas have been molded and vulcanized in the cushion,such ribbon-like strips being placed close to the working face andparallel therewith, extending widthwise from about the root of. thecushion up very nearly to the top surface of the latter, but locatedwholly within the molded mass of compound.

One or more narrow strips of various material-a ribbon-like strip ofsteel, a similar strip of hard-rubber compound and of wood fiber, withor without fibrous coverings or envelops-have been molded and vulcanizedin the cushion-strip, with the upper edge of such strip located justwithin the nose of the cushion and running thence off Widthwise eitherdownwardly parallel with the working face or downward and obliquelythereto. Again, a metallic wire has been placed taut in the female mold,either in a naked condition or incased in a tubular woven fabric, or soincased and also having a canvas wrapping thereof extended downapronlike toward and close to the root of the cushion, the compoundplaced around such device,

ICC

and the strip then molded and vulcanized, so

that the face-hardening device of the finished cushion would comprisethe molded-in wire (provided either with a wrapping of textile fabricwith or without a depending ribbon-like portion or in a naked condition)located just within the nose of the cushion.

While in the manufacture of some cushionstrips it is sought to attainthe desired working qualities of the nose and working face of thecompound strip by simply molding on said face and over said nose acanvas or closely-woven cloth, which latter is first laid in the femalemold and the compound for the and largely made and used, and just inproportion as professional players become more experienced and perfectedin play, and amateurs at clubs, and in the general public whichpatronize billiards become more expert, are all classes rendered morecompetent to distinguish between cushions having slightly-differentmodes of actions and inclined to demand for use a kind of cushionpossessing in the most eminent degree all the best playing qualities ofa billiard-cushion, such as a desirable degree of quickness, (or speed,)accuracy of angles, responsiveness to balls making slight or delicatecontacts.

The question of the durability of the cushion (which, as I have beforementioned, means the capacity of a cushion to retain for a longer orshorter time all its original desirable qualities) is most important,however, to the owner of the billiard-table, be the latter a table forprivate or for public use, because as soon as the cushions of a tablebegin to lose their perfection of action the necessity arises of puttingin a new set, which is rather a costly repair. Hence in considering thequestion of how to provide for use the most acceptable and satisfactorybilliard-table cushion the manufacturer must solve the problem of how toproduce a cushion which, while it shall possess in the greatest degreepractically possible all the requisites of a cushion with perfectaction, shall at the same time possess the attribute of what I havecalled the cushions durability to such an extent as to render thearticle capable of use at reasonable expense. Upon this vital questionof durability much thought, time, and expense have for years now beenexpended to the end and object of making cushion-strips having theproper or the desired mode of action that will retain their efficacylonger than usual, and in the efforts made to accomplish this greatdesideratum I have found that while that construction of cushion (towhich I have hereinbefore alluded) having no sort of incorporatedfacehardening device is made to possess a reasonable degree of enduranceevery sort of cushion-strip containing any kind of face-hardening deviceunder the exercise of the greatest care in the processof manufacture andwith the use of various expedients is most defective in this quality ofendurance.

Reasoning from the fact that wherever a face-hardening device isincorporated in the rubber-compound strip the latter is invariablyinferior in the particular of durability, I concluded that any suchincorporated device must have something to do with the difficultyencountered, and by experimenting to find out what, if any, chemicaleffect might be produced on that small portion of the rubber compoundcomprising the nose and the upper part of the working face of the stripI learned that while in the case of some sorts of hardening devicesthere was doubtless some chemical action which operated to deteriorate,

so to speak, the quality of these parts of the vulcanized strip in thecase of other devices the presence of the latter could not well produceany chemical action leading to the defeet sought to be cured.

I learned by experiment, for instance, that in the manufacture of acushion some time ago devised and patented by me and used veryextensively with satisfactory results, though open to improvement onthis point of endurance, having for a face-hardening device a thinnarrow strip of hard-rubber compound molded in close to the working faceand parallel therewith, this strip of hard-rubber compound molded incaused that part of the compound in close proximity to the hard-rubberstrip, and hence the portion of the compound composing the nose and theupper part of the working face, to become overcured, as therubber-manufacturer terms the carrying too far of the heating andvulcanizing process; but I also learned that in the case of a striphaving a molded-in piano-wire close to the nose and working face of thecushion this same overcuring, which is known to render the cushionlacking in endurance, resulted. Concluding from this course ofexperimenting that while the metallic face-hardening device seemed tohave no chemical effect on the compound of the strip its presence wascertainly instrumental in some way in injuriously affecting, probably byovercuring, the particles composing the nose and upper part of thecushion-strip. I divined that in all reasonable probability the smallquantity of the compound located in the molding operation between themetallic face-hardening device and the nose of the cushion and also thesmall portion of compound contiguous to the upper and rear portions, soto speak, of the wire were more quickly heated and more rapidly took upthe sulfur than any other parts of the compound mass during thevulcanizing process and that by reason thereof the durability of thecushions nose was injuriously affected. I thereafter discovered byplacing the wire farther away from the nose and working face of thecushion-strip that the latters nose after vulcanization would come outof the mold in very much the perfect and desirable condition alwaysobservable in the other superficial parts of the manufactured strip.Having thus solved the question of how to make a cushion-strip having anincorporated face-hardening strip that would possess a nose and aplaying-face portion possessing the quality of great endurance, byreason of these portions not being overcured, but perfectly vulcanized,I next experimented to find out whether the placement farther back oraway from the nose of the metallic face-hardening device operated toinjuriously affect the action of the cushion, and by experiment andpractice have demonstrated that with the wire placed approximately aquarter of an inch in rear of the outer surface of the nose the cush-=ion will possess all the good qualities in ac tion or play of the samecushion with the wire placed as close as practically possible to theouter surface of the molded compound where the nose of the cushion isformed. 1

While there is an almost inappreciable reduction in the speed of thecushion, the placement of the wire, aslhave just stated, in my improvedcushion renders the angles in playing much nearer perfection than in thecase of the same cushion with the wire arranged close to the outersurface of the compound.

Based upon the above-mentioned discoveries, I propose by my invention toprovide for use a better cushion than ever before made1l. e., a cushionhaving the speed and more than the accuracy of any other facehardenedstrip while at the same time vastly more durable.

To these ends and object my invention may be said to consist,essentially, in a billiardcushion strip made of any approved rubbercompound having some sort of face-hardening device incorporated thereinand united therewith during the molding and vulcanizing processes,butlocated farther back from the nose and playing-surface of thefinished strip" than usual, allin a manner and for purposes which willbe hereinafter more fully explained and as willbe most particularlypointed out in theclaim of this specification.

In order that those skilled in the art of making rubber-cushion stripsand using them in the. manufacture of billiard-tables may fullyunderstand and practice my invention, I will now proceed to more fullydescribe it, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification, and in which I have illustrated thecarrying into efiect of my improvement in precisely the manner in whichI have sofar successfully practiced it,though it may,of course, becarried out under some mere modifications thereof. o

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partial vertical cross-section of abilliard-table cushionrail and bed playing-surface illustrating myimproved cushion-strip applied to a billiardtable. Fig. 2 is across-sectional View of an ordinary form of metallic mold, in which aremolded and vulcanized cushion-strips and shown a strip in each of thethree cavities or moldingboxes, to be presently explained. Fig. 3 is aviewsimilar to Fig. 1, but showing only the cushion-strip and that madeslightly differently from the cushion of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3, but showing a variation in the cushion. Fig. 5 is apartial top and sort of diagrammatical view showing small portions ofthebed and cushion for the purpose of an illustration of something to behereinafter explained. Fig. 6.is a view similar to Fig. 5 for use for ananalogous purpose. Fig. 'Z is a partial vertical cross-section of thecushion-rail and playing-surface of the tablebed and a billiard-ballrepresented in the act of striking the nose or playing-surface of thecushion.

compoundedingredients known for manufacturing billiard-cushion strips,and is prefererably of the cross-sectional form shown, which issubstantially followed nowadays by almost all cushion-makers.

The cushion C in use is mounted, about as usual, on the lining G (seeFigs. 1 and 7) of the cushion-rail H, (see Fig. 1,) so that itsobliquely-arranged working face i bears the usual relationship to theplaying-surface I of the bed, and its nosef is located at the usualelevation above said bed, which, as well known, is such that the saidnose lies in a line somewhat higher than is the center of the standardsize of billiard-ball.

e is a wire having wrapped around it one edge of a ribbon-like strip orapron-like piece of textile fabric, preferably a closely-woven canvas,(or other non-stretchable fabric,) which extends downward toward andnearly to the root of the strip, as seen at Z, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 7,)this wire, thus tied down to the root of the cushion, constituting aface-hardening device heretofore devised by me, patented, and in veryextensive use, that I deem about the best device for the purpose, and

hence preferably used in carrying into effect my present invention. Thelatter does not, however, necessarily involve this or any other specificform of face-hardener, but maybe praeticedwith the use of any approvedfacehardener, my invention involving merely a new arrangement orlocation relatively to the nosefof the metallic device e or some otherface-hardener. 1

d is the usual semicylindrical cavity or recess running along the backside of the strip and for a long time back adopted by about allcushion-strip manufacturers for the double purpose of rendering thestrip more elastic and active in repulsing balls played against it, or,in other words, affording a greater mobility of the stock or material ofthe strip and at the same time economizingmaterial in the manufacturedgoods.

To make my improved cushion-strip, the same molds are used and the sameprocesses carried out as in the case of making cushions such aspreviously made.

A cast-iron mold A (see Fig. 2) has cut in it a series of V-shapedgrooves or depressions, each of the proper size and shape foracushion-strip, and after such depression shall have been filled in withthe rubber compound and the incorporated face-hardener a covering on itslower surface with bead-like projections g, that form or mold (in theplastic stock) the depression 61 (seen at Figs. 1 and 7) is applied withsufficient (excessive) force to squeeze out of the female member anysuperfluous compound, after which the mold and its contents are placed,as usual, in the oven or furnace,where the contents of the mold isproperly vulcanized.

The whole w'iodus operand t followed in making my improved cushion aswell as the ingredients used are precisely the same as in the case ofmaking an analogous form of cushion-strip of the old-fashioned kind.

To illustrate, the cushion O, with its combined piano-wire e and canvasZ (to form its face-hardening device) that I have shown at Figs. 2 and3, is made, it will be seen, by

precisely the same method as that employed to make the cushion O; andthis is equally true with reference to the cushion seen at C Figs. 2 and4, in which a naked Wire c (without any canvas apron) is used as thefacehardener. The whole pith and essence,there-v fore, of my novelconstruction of cushion lies simply in locating or placing theface-hardening device (in the case shown the wrapped 'nose f (whichcomprising an angle or apex of the compound, and hence liable to beheated quicker and cured more any Way than any other portion of theoperative part of the cushion) is overcured or its designed qualitiesspoiled by overvulcanization before the rest of the stock is properlyvulcanized by reason of the particles of the compound of the nose beingacted upon by the heated wire or by reason of being held and pressedclosely against the inner surface of the mold A, (see Fig. 2;) butWhatever be the correct theory or the rationale of the change the factis that simply by the change I have made in the location of theincorporated metallic face-hardener I have produced a cushion otherwiselike previous cushions and made by precisely the same method or processof manufacture that is far superior in the quality of endurance or themaintenance of its original desirable features of action to any cushionever made before. This fact I have demonstrated by experiment and actualpractice. Not only this, but in my improved cushion experiment andpractice have demonstrated that not only has the change in the locationof the face-hardening device not impaired the desirable active qualitiesof the for among" experienced billiard-table makers and students of thegame of billiards that the presence of some face-hardening devicelocated immediately within or in rear of the nose and face of therubber-compound strip is an indispensable adjunct to asatisfactorilyoperating cushion on the hypothesis that the nose andworking face of the cushion-strip made of a sufficiently elastic andpure compound are too soft, or, in other Words, permit too muchembedment of the ball (on all strokes of average or medium force) to getgood results as to correctness of angles, and years of experiment,thought, and great expense have been bestowed on eiforts tosolve theproblem of what sort of face-hardening device best be used in this way.

It is true to a certain extent that in the use of a cushion of good-thatis, durable and highly-elastic-material made without any face hardener aball played pretty hard against the nose fat an anglesuch, for instance,as indicated by the dotted line 1 2 at Fig. 5-.will embed itself in thestock of the cushion so much (as indicated by the dotted line c) as tobe thrown off from or deflected by the cushion as per dotted line a;ainstead of leaving the cushion at an angle indicated by the dotted line2 3, and the reasons for this are obvious; but it is also true thatwhile too great embedment, as illustrated by the depression E (seen atFig. 6) may be avoided in playing the same stroke by the presence of aface-hardener placed close to the face or nose of the cushion so as toget the effect illustrated at E, there are objections to the mode ofaction of the cushion illustrated at E, since in such case the angle ofreflection may vary more from that of incidence than in the other caseby reason of some sliding movement of the ivory ball on the (hard)cushionface before it is deflected from the cushion.

I have found by experiment and practice that in. the use of my improvedcushion when a ball is played against it with a force more than that ofthe majority of strokes used in the experts game the action(approximately illustrated at Fig. 7) is such that the impact of theball will displace the particles of rubber compound mass about asillustrated by the dotted line f and the ball will be re pelled withabout the same force (or Will be given the same legs and will make ortake as good an angle as in the case of the cushion having the sameface-hardening device, located, for instance, as seen at Fig. 4, whileat the same time the cushion, as seen at Fig. 7, will act initially witha repellent force that does not tend to make the ball impinge soforcibly on the playing-surface of the bed, and therefore repels theball with less of that well-known injurious effect on the bed-clothwhich operates to gutter the cloth. Thus it will be seen that as theresult of the change I have made a cushion-strip is produced atprecisely the same cost of manufacture,

which while it is quite equal in all its operative or active qualitiesto any heretofore made possesses the capacity of vastly great-erendurance or durability than any prior cushion.

It will of course be understood that in practicing my invention andreaping either in greater or less degree the fruits or benefits thereofit is not necessary to follow precisely the details as to the locationof the wire 6 that I have shown in the full-sized drawings which makepart of this specification, since an immaterial change in location ineither direction would lead to only a colorable variation in results. Ialso Wish it to be understood that while under existing circumstancesabout the positioning of the wire e shown may be productive of the Verybest results it may be found expedient, in View of some change in thegame or in the way of playing" it, to set the wire 6 farther back thanis necessary for the explained purposes and results of my invention, inorder, perhaps, to make the cushion slower, in which case I should havethe right to so increase the distance between the nose fand theface-hardener for such new and additional requirements.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A billiard-cushion strip composed of a suitable rubber compound, havingsome suitable face-hardening device molded in; united with the mass ofcompound by the vulcanizing process to, which the latter is subjected;and located so far within the mass, as specified, that the nose, orplaying-surface of the cushion, will not be overcured, or injuriouslyaffected by the proper vulcanizing of the strip; all substantially asand for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of January,1902.

MOSES BENSINGER.

Witnesses:

II. F. DAVENPORT, SAMUEL K. 00X.

